The Proposal
by Inky Words
Summary: A long-awaited event and the reaction.  Enough fluff to give you a heart attack
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: This was the very first fanfiction I ever actually wrote down. I found it awhile ago in some very old documents. Beware of fluff! If I'd found it earlier, I would have actually posted it before Christmas, but oh, well. _

_I own nothing._

Chapter One

"_Si-lent night, Ho-ly night. All is calm, all is bright_," sang the carolers in the square through the softly falling snow.

Riza sighed happily as she stood arm-in-arm with Roy. Silent Night had always been her favorite carol.

"It's so beautiful out tonight. Probably the most perfect Christmas Eve I've ever seen," she commented.

"Yeah, that it is."

Roy looked down at her. "Ready to go? We'll be late to Gracia's if we don't move on."

"All right."

He nodded, but then stopped. "Riza, wait." She looked up at him quizzically. "I-I have something to ask you. I've been wanting to for a while, but I wanted to find the right moment."

He took a deep breath and pulled a small box out of his pocket. "I was going to give you this tomorrow, but as you said, it's perfect tonight. The snow, the music…I don't think I'll ever find a better moment."

Riza took the box from him and slowly flipped open the lid. There, nestled on black velvet, was a gold band, surmounted by a diamond. A ring.

She stared at him, blushing furiously as he bent down on one knee.

"I love you, Riza. Will you marry me?"

She hesitated, but only for a moment, before throwing herself into his arms. He caught her as he stood and spun her around, laughing for joy.

"Yes, yes," she whispered, "I love you too."

Roy pulled back for a moment, grinning like an idiot. "You just made me the happiest man alive."

"Roy that is so cliché."

"But it's true. Look on the inside of the band." His voice was soft and warm.

She pulled it from the box. There engraved on the inside were the words Love Everlasting.

"Even more cliché. But probably the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." She threw herself at him again, and found his lips with hers.

They might have stood there forever, if not for some children who had been playing in the square. Giggling, they surround the newly engaged couple, singing rude rhymes. Riza, ever alert, pulled away and looked down at them. She raised an eyebrow. "Shoo." They scattered, still laughing.

Roy hugged his fiancé again, but Riza said, "Roy, I'd love to stay here all night, but we really do have to get going. We'll be late. Again."

He grinned and grabbed her hand. "Let's go then."

Laughing like the children in the square, they ran hand in hand all the way to their old friend's house. And the snow swirled in its gleeful dance, echoing their joy.


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N This was written long before the manga wrapped up, so there are some minor inconsistencies. Still don't own._

Chapter Two

Twenty minutes and many holiday greetings later, Riza was settled in Gracia's kitchen with Winry, Sheska, and Gracia herself, while Roy was playing poker with his men, Major Armstrong, and the Elric brothers. Al and Breda were shoveling cookies into their mouths at a lightning pace. Breda simply liked to eat, while Al still hadn't gotten over the pleasure of being able to feel things again after regaining his body several months ago.

While such company would normally be slinging rude comments and ribald jokes about with abandon, they watched their mouths, for Elysia was sitting in her "Uncle Roy's" lap. The men were trying to guess why their General looked so happy.

"C'mon chief, what's with the grin?" Havoc wheedled.

"Yeah, even Al's beating you right now and he's incapable of bluffing. What're you grinning about?" Ed snorted.

To all their prodding, Roy only replied, grinning widely, "It's Christmas Eve."

Meanwhile, Riza was listening with half an ear to Winry's tale about Ed's latest idiotic and destructive escapade. She was sure the story was very amusing, but she was just having trouble concentrating. Her mind kept focusing on how wonderful her ring felt on her finger.

"Hm?" She looked up, realizing that someone was talking to her. "Sorry, I was thinking of something else."

"Yes, Riza," Gracia commented, "I was going to ask you about that. You and Roy have both been distracted all evening. You keep smiling. I've never seen the two of you so happy."

Riza was saved the trouble of answering by Winry's gasp. "Ohmygosh, Riza! Your hand, let me see your hand!"

Riza, not really surprised that Winry had spotted it first, held up her left hand and wriggled her fingers.

"Riza," Sheska whispered, "is that…from the General?"

She nodded, allowing her usually emotionless mask to slip as a huge smile threatened to split her head in two.

"You're engaged? Since when?" Gracia asked, her voice as quiet as Sheska's.

"Since twenty-five minutes ago."

Simultaneously, all three women shrieked and threw themselves on their friend, nearly crying with delight.

The men jerked as they heard shrieks and the crash of a chair being knocked over.

"What the he-heck was that?" yelped Ed.

Roy chuckled; he had a pretty good guess as to what it was.

As one, they jumped up and ran to the doorway, halting suddenly as they saw Gracia, Winry, and Sheska doing a victory dance around Riza, singing incoherently.

"May I ask what's going on here, ladies?" Armstrong inquired.

They ignored him, until they caught sight of Roy. Immediately, they grabbed his hand and pulled him into their circle too.

Now, their song was beginning to make sense.

"Roy and Riza are getting married! Fa la la la la la la la la. They will be the cutest couple ever! Fa la la la la la la-"

"Now hold on a sec-" said Al.

"General, is that true?" cried Fuery.

"Yep," Roy called over the continuing song, his characteristic smirk playing on his lips.

"WHAT!"

They all roared with delight and overwhelmed the two with bear hugs and backslaps. Armstrong accidentally knocked Roy to his knees. Elysia tugged on Roy's pant leg and the hem of Riza's dress.

"Aunt Riza, Uncle Roy, know what Daddy would say if he was here right now?"

"What would he say, Elysia?" Riza smiled indulgently.

The child announced in a high-pitched version of her father's excited tones, "'I told you so! I told you so! I told you so!' And then he would take lots and lotsa pictures."

"Yeah, Elysia, you are definitely your father's daughter," Roy said wryly, his arm snaking around Riza's waist and pulling her closer.

"Speaking of pictures," Gracia grinned wickedly, producing a camera seemingly from nowhere with that peculiar Hughes magic.

Exactly forty-two pictures later, Riza finally ran out of patience. Producing a gun, she leveled it at the unlucky Falman, who happened to be holding the camera.

_Click_! went the safety switch as it disengaged.

"I think it's time for presents!" Roy suggested hastily.

Everyone agreed with relief and the group trouped back into the living room, Elysia dancing with impatience. All four-year-olds love presents!

Thus ensued a boisterous tumult as everyone ripped open their gifts. Paper and ribbons flew through the air.

There were, of course, the required gag gifts. Breda gave Havoc the book Dating for Dummies. Roy gave Ed a stuffed shrimp. The resulting explosion was only calmed by a flying wrench connecting with Ed's head, courtesy of a certain automail mechanic.

There were, however, some more sincere gifts. Ed gave Winry a beautiful bracelet shaped like two clasped automail hands.

"Ed, you made this with alchemy, didn't you?"

"Yeah. Al helped."

"I can tell. There's no fangs on it." She kissed her boyfriend soundly, amid wolf whistles and catcalls from the men of Roy's unit.

Elysia scouted under the tree, hoping for more presents. "Wait! There's one more. Please can you read it, Uncle Kain?"

Fuery read aloud, "To Roy and Riza. From Everybody Else."

Roy reached for the present without dislodging Riza, who was leaning against him contentedly.

An outbreak of knowing, mischievous giggles swept the room as Roy untied the ribbon and Riza opened the box. Inside was a sprig of mistletoe. They stared at it in mingled amusement and exasperation, until Armstrong reached over their shoulders and hung it from the ceiling.

"Kiss the bride," chuckled Ed.


End file.
